OF mental health care and mentally ill

schizophrenia hallucinations examples

The person with schizophrenia will experience hallucinations. A ‘hallucination’ is a false perception that can affect any five of the senses. The most common hallucinations are auditory hallucinations, affecting 50–80% of people with schizophrenia . Auditory hallucinations are frequently persecutory, saying negative comments to the person or providing a running commentary on their behaviour. They may also provide the person with commands which can mean that the person’s behaviour becomes unpredictable as they are compelled to act on these commands, which may include harm to others or themselves. Visual hallucinations usually consist of seeing a clearly defined object and are the second-most-common type of hallucination in schizophrenia. Sometimes, a person with schizophrenia can be observed responding to the voices by shouting at them to stop and they can become very frightened. They may be reluctant to inform health care practitioners as they are fearful of the consequences but with support and encouragement may inform their carers.